Monthly Archives: September 2017

The word geyser is derived from the Great Geysir. However, Geysir is very unreliable these days. Strokkur, on the other hand, with its reliable eruption cycle has become a more popular tourist destination. Strokkur is a fountain geyser located in the geothermal field in the Haukadalur valley in Iceland. Nearby are located many smaller geysers (as well as the Geysir).

Strokkur was supposedly set off during an earthquake in 1789. It is a very energetic geyser, the water sprouting around 10-20m high. At any time of the day, you can see rings of tourists, cameras in hand, waiting for the geyser to erupt. And Strokkur doesn’t disappoint; it erupts every 8-10 minutes sending fumes of sulphur your way if you stand in the direction of the wind.

Watching people through the window is his job. Well, not exactly his job, but a prelude to it.

Staring out the window at the lush landscape, tickling streams—not his scene. Why sit on the other side of the wall when you could directly bask in the sun, play with the waters, and climb the mountains? Maybe when it’s raining. But then he would rather go out in the rain than watch through a hole in the wall. He loves dancing in the rain as much as he loves making people dance to his tunes.

His window seat doesn’t face nature, but the concrete street—a crowded road with heavy footfall—not the highway packed with moving vehicles. He isn’t interested in watching the different models of automobiles passing, though he does love cars and bikes. Watching people isn’t a hobby, but a necessity. Else, how would he find someone suitable? He doesn’t like to use someone he knows. That would be risky. His feelings would interfere with what he has to do. Watching a crowd is safe. There he finds strangers, whose pain and sufferings he can bear with a detached mind. Continue reading The Observer→